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HBO is celebrating Black History Month by making many of its most popular black-driven TV shows and movies available to stream for free online. It’s part of the network’s “Black History Is Our History” spotlight page, which aims to highlight HBO’s “diverse and expansive slate of content” and “rich history of amplifying Black stories and talent.”
Among the HBO shows and films available to stream online free: select episodes of Michaela Coel’s I May Destroy You, the critically-acclaimed Lovecraft Country, the Serena Williams documentary Being Serena, Watchmen, and Issa Rae’s Insecure. You can also watch The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (based on the best-selling 2011 book of the same name), Bessie, and the original doc, 40 Years a Prisoner, among a host of other titles all written by, starring and/or produced by black talent.
Here’s the full list of free programming available to stream on HBO.com and HBOMax.com. Watch these titles for free during Black History Month, and then use this 20% off deal to sign up for an HBO Max subscription to keep watching after February.
Black-Led TV Shows and Movies Streaming Free on HBO.com
40 Years a Prisoner (HBO)
Being Serena (Season 1 Episode 1) (HBO)
Between the World and Me (HBO)
Bessie (HBO)
Black Art: In the Absence of Light (premieres 2/9) (HBO)
I May Destroy You (Season 1 Episode 1) (HBO)
Insecure (Season 1 Episode 1) (HBO)
King in the Wilderness (HBO)
Lovecraft Country (Episode 1) (HBO)
Say Her Name: The Life and Death of Sandra Bland (HBO)
The Apollo (HBO)
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (HBO)
The Loving Story (HBO)
The Shop: Uninterrupted (Season 3 Episode 2) (HBO)
We Are the Dream (HBO)
What’s My Name | Muhammad Ali (HBO)
Women of Troy (HBO)
Black-Led TV Shows and Movies Streaming Free on HBOMax.com
A Black Lady Sketch Show (Season 1 Episode 1)
Being Serena (Season 1 Episode 1)
Between the World and Me
Black Boy Joy (premieres 2/2)
Insecure (Season 1 Episode 1)
I May Destroy You (Season 1 Episode 1)
Lovecraft Country (Episode 1)
Watchmen (Episode 1)
In addition to the free titles, HBO Max is also dedicating a special “spotlight page” to showcase hundreds of shows, movies, documentaries and biopics that highlight civil rights in the U.S. The marquee title is the premiere of Judas and the Black Messiah, available on HBO Max February 12th — the same day it hits theaters.
HBO Max has divided its Black History Month offerings into four sections: OUR PAST, OUR JOY, OUR FUTURE and OUR IMAGINATION. Here’s a full list of programming available on HBO Max in February.
HBO subscribers in the U.S. can stream all of these titles for free. They also have free access to the HBO Max app as part of their HBO subscription through participating providers. For those who still need to sign-up, we like this HBO Max deal, which gets you 20% off subscription price, when prepaying for six months. The deal is available through March 1.
OUR PAST (Documentaries, Biopics, and Original Films)
4 Little Girls, 1997 (HBO)
40 Years a Prisoner, 2020 (HBO)
1968, 2018
Amistad, 1997 (HBO)
Being Serena (HBO)
Bessie, 2015 (HBO)
Between the World and Me, 2020 (HBO)
Black Art: In The Absence of Light, 2021 (HBO) (premieres 2/9)
Boycott, 2001 (HBO)
Confirmation, 2016 (HBO)
Ebony: The Last Years of the Atlantic Slave Trade, 2016
Equal, 2020
Fists of Freedom: The Story of the ’68 Summer Games, 1999 (HBO)
Harriet, 2019 (HBO)
John Lewis: Good Trouble, 2020
Just Mercy, 2019 (HBO)
Kareem: Minority of One, 2015 (HBO)
King: A Filmed Record…Montgomery to Memphis, 1970
King in the Wilderness, 2018 (HBO)
Malcolm X, 1992
Mavis!, 2015 (HBO)
Miss Evers’ Boys, 1997 (HBO)
Paul Robeson: Tribute to an Artist, 1979
Ray, 2004 (HBO)
Red Tails, 2012 (HBO)
Roots, 1997
Say Her Name: The Life and Death of Sandra Bland, 2018 (HBO)
Sugar Ray Robinson: The Bright Lights & Dark Shadows of a Champion(HBO)
The Apollo, 2019 (HBO)
The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, 1974 (HBO)
The Hurricane, 1999 (HBO)
The Loving Story, 2011 (HBO)
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, 2017 (HBO)
The Shop: Uninterrupted S3, E2 (HBO)
The Soul of America, 2020 (HBO)
The Tuskegee Airmen, 1995 (HBO)
TIGER, Parts 1 & 2 2021 (HBO)
True Justice: Bryan Stevenson’s Fight for Equality, 2019 (HBO)
Under the Grapefruit Tree: The CC Sabathia Story, 2020 (HBO)
We Are the Dream: The Kids of the Oakland MLK Oratorical Fest, 2020 (HBO)
We Will Rise: Michelle Obama’s Mission to Educate Girls Around the World, 2016
What’s My Name | Muhammad Ali Parts 1 & 2, 2019 (HBO)
Women of Troy, 2020 (HBO)
OUR JOY (Classic Comedy Series, Films, and Stand-Up Specials)
Amanda Seales: I Be Knowin’, 2019 (HBO)
A Black Lady Sketch Show (HBO)
A Thin Line Between Love and Hate, 1996
Chris Rock: Bigger and Blacker, 1999 (HBO)
Dave Chappelle: Killing Them Softly, 2000 (HBO)
Eve
Fifty Shades of Black, 2016 (HBO)
How to Be a Player, 1997 (HBO)
Insecure (HBO)
Key & Peele
Legendary
Life, 1999 (HBO)
Lil Rel Howery: Live in Crenshaw, 2019 (HBO)
Loiter Squad
Love and Basketball, 2000
Love Jones, 1997
Purple Rain, 1984
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Reunion
The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency (HBO)
The Photograph, 2020 (HBO)
The Wayans Bros
Yvonne Orji: Momma, I Made It!, 2020 (HBO)
OUR FUTURE (Groundbreaking Series and Films)
2 Dope Queens (HBO)
Above the Rim, 1994 (HBO)
Beasts of the Southern Wild, 2012 (HBO)
Betty (HBO)
Charm City Kings, 2020
Chewing Gum
David Makes Man
Euphoria (HBO)
Flight, 2012 (HBO)
Go Tell It on the Mountain, 1985 (HBO)
He Got Game, 1998 (HBO)
Home Videos (HBO)
Industry (HBO)
Insecure (HBO)
I May Destroy You (HBO)
Lean On Me, 1989
Lovecraft Country (HBO)
Malcolm X, 1992
Native Son, 2019 (HBO)
New Jack City, 1991
Nightingale, 2014 (HBO)
O.G., 2018 (HBO)
Queen and Slim, 2019 (HBO)
Random Acts of Flyness (HBO)
Rosewood, 1997
Sermon on the Mount (HBO)
Something the Lord Made, 2004 (HBO)
The Color Purple, 1985
The Last King of Scotland, 2006 (HBO)
The Little Things, 2021
True Detective (HBO)
Us, 2019 (expires 2/22) (HBO)
Watchmen (HBO)
We Are Who We Are (HBO)
Yuli, 2018 (HBO)
OUR IMAGINATION (Animation)
Black Dynamite
Codename: Kids Next Door
Craig of the Creek
gen:LOCK
Laser Wolf
Static Shock
Steven Universe
Steven Universe Future
Teen Titans
The Boondocks
The Jellies
Todd McFarlane’s Spawn (HBO)
Vixen
Young Justice
In addition to HBO Max, Disney+ is also launching a special microsite for Black History Month, with its “Celebrate Black Stories” collection. The collection is led by the release of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, the 1997 Whitney Houston and Brandy-starring television movie that is coming to streaming for the first time. Disney+ is also where you can stream Beyonce: Black is King, Black Panther, Soul and many more.
Disney+ is promoting its black-driven content under five categories: Heroes, Family Love, Strong Women, Going for the Gold and Friendship. Watch all of these titles for free with your Disney+ subscription. Sign-up now to get Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ combined for just $12.99 a month. Here are the black-led movies and shows available on Disney+ right now.
Heroes (black superhero films to stream on Disney+)
Marvel Rising: Heart of Iron
Chadwick Boseman: A Tribute for a King
Marvel Studios’ Black Panther
Red Tails
Kazaam
Up, Up and Away
Twitches
Twitches Two
K.C. Undercover
Family Love (black family films to stream on Disney+)
The Proud Family
The Proud Family Movie
Raven’s Home
That’s So Raven
The Lion King (2019)
The Lion King (1994)
The Poof Point
Smart Guy
Safety
Strong Women (black female-driven films to stream on Disney+)
Black Is King
Hidden Figures
Queen of Katwe
A Wrinkle in Time
Ruby Bridges
Sister Act
Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit
The Princess and the Frog
Doc McStuffins
Going for the Gold (black athlete films to stream on Disney+)
Breaking2
Cool Runnings
Remember the Titans
Friendship (black relationship films to stream on Disney+)
Soul
Loop
The Color of Friendship
Jump In!
Wacky Adventure
Hounded
Zapped
How to Build a Better Boy
Sign up for a Disney+ subscription here
